Fall to Rebirth
by Lessiehanamoray
Summary: When attacked on a bridge by a strange woman Raidou Kuzunoha the Fifteenth knows something needs to be done to stop her, especially when she starts talking about Armageddon. What is she aiming for and why did she want to talk to him? P4 MC and others as well.
1. Chapter 1

"What the hell are you doing on the bridge?" the deep voice reverberated through the speakers. "Motorbikes aren't allowed on the Rainbow Bridge."

The sound of a revving engine was the only response.

"You're going to get yourself killed. Goddamnit, Raidou, what's gotten into you?"

What's gotten into me? Raidou glared at the road ahead of him, weaving through the traffic with practiced ease. He had been mad and reckless many times in his life.

"Akira," the small black cat beside him called up. "You need to calm down."

Had Goutou even seen that? He had even...Raidou sped up in frustration. He had surpassed safe speeds long ago and quickly approached suicidal.

"Raidou, talk to me."

Sorry, Daisuke. Raidou weaved between two cars. He could feel the rumble of a train below him.

"Akira, above us," Goutou suddenly called. Knowing his companion too well not to heed the warning Raidou quickly glanced up.

A figure flew above them, white against the multi-colored lights. A humanoid figure. The figure looked down at him, silver hair brushing against her, it was definitely a her now that he could see better, face. She smiled like a nue.

"Cars," Goutou called. Suddenly reminded that he was going faster than anyone should ever sanely go on a curving road Raidou dropped his gaze just in time to weave to the left and slide between two cars. A moment later a flash of light erupted to his right and one of those cars screeched. Raidou glanced up.

The woman now held a blank mask to her face. Despite any obvious signs of features it seemed to meld with her face. She held out her hand. He looked at the road again and began more actively sliding between cars and slowing down.

He could hear crashes all around him as people panicked to the hole suddenly blown in a major expressway, and he heard more crashes as another burst of light just missed him.

"She's using megido," Gouto called up as Raidou slammed on the brakes.

"Yeah, think I noticed."

"Raidou, what the hell is going on?"

"I'll let you know when it's safe for the ambulances."

"Not helping assuage my worries."

Raidou blocked his irritating contact from his mind as slide to a stop precariously close to the guard of the bridge. The woman landed just a few meters away on the bridge.

"Are you done running now?" she inquired, still holding the mask to her face.

"Depends," Raidou asked, voice distorted through the helmet, "should I be?" He slid off the bike and took off his helmet, setting it down as she cocked her head. "Any particular reason you're chasing me or is it just more fun with a moving target?"

"Should I be chasing me?"

"You were definitely targeting me."

"I was definitely targeting near you."

"Of course, my apologies then." Raidou slowly slid a revolver from underneath his long coat.

"It's quite different, really. If I were targeting at you, you would be dead." A woman with a skeletal face and purple robes enveloped her. "I have a question for you Raidou Kuzunoha." The figure slowly rose, seven crowned and monstrous heads appearing ahead of her.

"Alright, shoot, after you introduce yourself."

The female figure sat down, now appearing to ride a great seven headed beast. "I am called Lucy and I am of the Armageddon."

"Armageddon?"

"Yes, do you know Armageddon?"

"I think everyone knows Armageddon."

"I didn't ask if you knew what it is. Have you ever felt your entire world end? That is the sensation of Armageddon." The figure around her gazed at Raidou, eyes alight with lust. "Beyond the persona there are two primary Armageddons. One when the world ends and one when the universe ends." With her free hand she touched her loose white shirt, accenting a sakura blossom brooch. "It is not so unlike a flower dying only to revive with the next spring. Before new buds can grow the old must fall."

"Let's just clear one thing up now. You want to end the world?"

"I wish to bring about a new world. One without all the filth."

"Sorry," Raidou finished pulling out his gun, "but I can't let you do that."

"Does this world deserve to be saved?" The figure rushed him. Raidou fired. The form enveloped him.

Images flashed through his mind too quickly to register, but too slowly to ignore. He saw his parents. He saw blood on the walls and someone with his face who wasn't him grinned. He saw someone gloating. He screamed and rushed forward.

Lucy stepped back, startled, and her hand dropped. The form disappeared as Raidou barrelled into her, settling the barrel of his gun against her forehead.

"The only one allowed to drudge up those memories is me, got it?" he snarled. She stared at him, wide-eyed, and he pulled the trigger.

A shot of electricity coursed through his body and he spasmed, dropping the gun and backing away. Lucy quickly pulled the rest of the way apart and looked up. A man hovered just a little to the side, lightly crackling around him. He held a skull mask against his face and angelic wings seemed projected behind his back.

Lucy grinned. Raidou dived for his gun only to get zapped again. She dove off the bridge, the new figure dropping behind her.

Raidou grabbed his gun and walked over to his bike, picking up his helmet and putting it back on.

"Raidou? Raidou, are you there?"

"Damnit, Daisuke, you're going to make yourself hoarse. Tell the ambulance it can come in." He got on the bike.

"Wait? What happened?"

"Never mind that." Raidou surveyed the damage on the bridge. "We'll figure it out tomorrow."

"But..."

"I'll see you tomorrow." Raidou turned on the engine and took off. It was going to be a long night, and an even longer tomorrow.

**Author's Note: **Wow, it's been a long time since I've been on the site. This is my first attempt actually writing any of my SMT ideas down, so if you want to see it continued you'll need to review and encourage me. I've had versions of this idea running around in my head for a long time now, but I think I finally figured out how to do it. Expect some inconsistencies due to limited information and posting very much as I write.


	2. Chapter 2

Raidou slammed the old door shut, pausing for a moment to hear the wood crack under the stress and to savor the sight of his young tutee jumping in surprise.

"Good morning," the silver haired freshman greeted as he settled back into his seat. "How are you feeling?"

"Irritable," Raidou responded, sitting down across the small table. "Do you actually need any help today or do I just get to play safety blanket again?"

"We learned about derivatives today."

"Right... Freshman."

"My teacher at Yasogami was... not very practical."

"Fine, what do you need to know?"

"Well, I get how to do them, but what are they?"

"Okay, what's the definition of slope?"

"Change in y over change in x," the freshman intoned.

"So, if we want a tangent line instead of a secant line then we have to make the change in x very, very small or take the limit until it goes to zero and that's what you're doing when you get a derivative."

"Wow."

"Wow what?"

"You actually bothered to explain it."

"I am being paid to do this, Seta."

"And most people don't stick with you a week."

Raidou glared at the younger man. "Then why are you still here?"

"Because you actually know what you're doing?"

"So do the other tutors."

"Not as well as you."

"I don't believe you."

"I've talked to them. They don't know as much as you."

For the first time since entering the room Raidou looked vaguely happy, a small smirk spreading across his face. "Nice try."

"Does it count as a try if it worked?"

"Very funny."

"You're no longer glowering," the underclassman smugly pointed out.

Raidou let out a deep sigh, feeling the leather beneath his shirt pressing against his chest. He just had to survive an hour of this, but time around Souji Seta always set him on edge. It felt like the younger man was always trying to delve into his darkest secrets while staying carefully away himself.

Souji leaned down over his math textbook. His knack for knowing when to drop a conversation irritated Raidou almost as much as his persistence in pursuing one. Still, it provided time to haul out the phone and do some basic research and read the news.

His browsing revealed there had been two massive outbreaks of apathy syndrome the previous night. One had occurred on the rainbow bridge, but the other had occurred in Shibuya, notably near the Harajuku train station.

For his part Souji kept his nose in the book and did his work, clearly making a point of not disturbing his frustrated tutor. When the alarm rang the hour he looked up again to see Raidou quickly rising.

"Homework or work?"

"None of your business."

He felt certain that Souji tried to say something, but Raidou had started down the stairs before he could even hear it.

Two cases in one night. Two massive cases in one night. Suddenly the bags under his eyes felt very, very heavy.

"Hey, Raidou," an older voice called.

Glancing across the sidewalks Raidou spied his mentor, an older detective who always looked harried.

"Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm fine, Daisuke," Raidou announced. They quickly fell into stride with one another and headed toward the street.

"You're behaving like a cat that's just had a cold shower."

"Where's Gouto?"

"He's in the car. Now, what happened last night?"

"I'll tell you when I know."

Carmina Burana's _Fortuna_ began to play from Raidou's pocket.

"Phone call?"

Raidou shot Daisuke a steely gaze before answering his phone. "Yes?"

Raidou paused, listening to his employer speak before abruptly cutting in. "-the massive cases of apathy syndrome."

After a moment he continued in a clipped tone. "Well, clearly you are. I'm almost to the car, so is there anything important you want to say?"

Raidou stopped when they reached the police car. "I was investigating something e- ...Yes, just _happened_ to be there. Do you think I go looking for trouble?"

His right arm twitched, causing the phone to jerk. "I do _not_ cause problems. I fix them."

He bit his lip for a moment as he listened to the caller. "Don't worry about it. I have some leads; I intend to use them."

Rolling his eyes slightly, Raidou responded, "Yes, ma'am," and pocketed the phone. "Well, that was a pointless conversation."

"Was that the Herald?"

Raidou coyly withheld his answer.

"And what's with that ring tone?"

"You know how I always say there are things you are just not meant to know?"

"Yeah."

Raidou opened the door. "Well, that's one of them."

They both got in the car and Daisuke pulled out his phone. A moment later there was the proper bring bring of an older telephone.

"Don't make me change this."

"You get bored way too easily," Daisuke responded as he hung up his phone and got ready to drive.

"I told you not to make me change this."

"Alright then. Where are your mysterious leads?"

"We need to visit Vincent."

"So, Shinjuku Medical Center."

"Definitely."

**Mandatory Author's Note: **So, I am actually posting a second chapter, and there's undoubtedly more to come because I forget how much I love this character. Because I'm failing at directly stating it (because no one actually ever calls out a person's full name) I'm going to state here that this is Raidou Kuzunoha the FIFTEENTH instead of fourteenth. I've been trying to make it clear, but haven't managed to find a good spot to haul out the hammer and give you guys a concussion. That said, something like that may come out in revision (keep dreaming).

However, I do really like this Raidou and I'm getting the hang of writing him. Just need to keep the snappy anger going and things should be fine. I should also probably sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Raidou Kuzunoha XV leaned back in the plastic chair, fingers drumming against the small table in the breakroom. Daisuke was talking to the nurses, investigating potential similarities between Apathy Syndrome patients. Gouto sat on the windowsill with his tail twitching.

"Do you feel it, Akira?"

"Yeah."

"This place is precariously close to the Dark Realm."

"Should we evacuate patients?"

Gouto sniffed the air. "At this point I think that would be more dangerous than keeping them here, but you should make sure to tell Vincent about it."

"I'll mention it first then."

"Besides information gathering, what else do you need to talk to him about?"

"Doctor Victor."

Gouto shifted and jumped onto the table. "Why would you talk about something like that?"

"Because it's important."

"Why?"

"It's..." Raidou took a deep breath and cut off his cadence with a definitive rap on the table. "Something happened last night, okay? And it had to do with Doctor Victor. I'm hoping Vincent can tell me something about it."

"I never did figure out why you bolted like that. What had you so spooked?"

"Is that what it looked like to you?"

"You just stopped. Then after a few moments, you hopped on the bike and took off for the bridge. I thought you had sensed a demon at first, or that something was attacking you, but you didn't pass out."

"Why would I pass out?"

"When something like that happened to your grandfather he fell unconscious, but you just stood there."

"I doubt my grandfather saw-"

Raidou stopped as the door opened. "I have about twenty minutes to eat and talk."

"Hey, Vincent."

"What's wrong?" The disheveled doctor sat across from Raidou, black hair greasy against his face and heavy bags under his eyes obscuring his already deep set eyes.

"First off, Gouto wants me to make sure you know that this hospital is coming dangerously close to the Dark Realm."

"I'll make sure people can get out." Vincent looked at his friend for a moment before continuing. "That's something you notice after you get here. Daisuke's bugging the nurses already, so what needs me?"

"Have you noticed any similarities between the victims?"

"Location, and that's it. If you want more, talk to the nurses. I'm busy with people who are suffering from other health problems. They have no sense of self-preservation now, but the nurses are handling the Apathy Syndrome itself."

"Understood."

"What else?"

Raidou closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Do you know about someone named Igor?"

"Why?"

"His name came up last night."

"I know about an Igor. He's a character in the Frankenstein movies."

Before he could stop himself, Raidou opened his mouth for a glib crack about "Frankenstein's" first name. A small gurgling sound escaped as he choked back the remark, but it was too late.

"Thought so," Vincent announced, rising from his seat. "What makes you think he's associated with my uncle?"

"I didn't say anything about-"

"You were about to."

Raidou couldn't argue with that, and he fell silent.

"Well?" Vincent prompted.

Trying to salvage his discretion, Raidou grasped for an explanation. "Uhh... Some notes?"

Vincent leaned down on Raidou's chair. "You burned all of his notes, remember?" The doctor's voice shook, and so did the chair.

Raidou tilted his head back to look up at his looming friend. "My grandfather's notes, not your uncle's. But I thought you might kno-"

His head hit the ground. Hard. And for a moment the entire world seemed to reel.

Vincent stood over him, coat quivering with his tremors.

"Don't lie to me. Whatever the hell else you want to do, don't lie to me."

Raidou passed a hand over his face. "I'd rather lie intentionally than accidentally."

Vincent's foot came forward, but he managed to stop short of kicking the boy in the head, instead driving it into the floor unsettlingly close to his face. "What do you mean?"

The young detective let out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding. "Something happened last night- something I can't explain. You have to believe me when I tell you this is important and that I will explain everything as soon as I can." The words rolled out- unscreened, unrehearsed.

"Just tell me what happened." Vincent demanded.

With some hesitation, Raidou regarded the sneaker a hair's breadth from his ear. "Can I stand up first?" Vincent turned around with a snort.

Sighing-and more relieved than he cared to admit- Raidou stood and brushed himself off.

"So?"

Raidou righted the chair and turned to regard his longtime friend.

"Are you sure about this, Akira?" Gouto asked.

"Don't you want to know, too?"

Vincent turned to regard Raidou before remembering the cat. However, the response pacified Gouto, and Raidou finally addressed Vincent again.

"I saw Doctor Victor last night."

"You killed him ten years ago."

"Which is why seeing him again terrified me." Raidou pressed on: "I need to find out about Igor."

"It can't have been him," Vincent insisted.

"Demons 'can't' exist." Common logic didn't apply here.

"Raidou..."

"Vincent, 'impossible' shit happens all the time. This is our life. Can we really dismiss the possibility that the dead could contact the living?"

"Or come back..." Vincent whispered, something occurring to him.

"Akira, stop this now."

"That's why I didn't want to tell you. I don't know what it was or how it appeared, but I was told to find 'the one with the world in his soul' and someone called Igor. The, Doctor Victor...thing said Igor was an old friend."

"I don't recognize the name."

"Okay."

They stood opposite each other for several moments. The rolling of carts being pushed through the ward and the buzzing of vending machines accentuated the stillness.

"You should get food."

"I guess," Vincent replied, looking down at the floor tiles. "My shift still has a long way to go."

"When can I expect to see you back at the agency?"

The doctor shrugged. "When no one's in danger."

"Someone's always in danger."

"Yeah, and it's usually you."

"Sorry."

"Don't worry about it. I chose to make it my job to take care of you."

"And it's my job to make sure you eat."

"I'll grab a bite when you leave."

"Alright." Raidou walked forward, but stopped when they were shoulder to shoulder. "Call me when your shift ends."

"I'm fine."

Raidou shook his head, but headed out the door, Gouto gently padding behind him.

"Are you sure about this, Akira? Vincent clearly isn't taking this well."

Raidou closed the door before heading down the hallway and responding, "Why would he?"

"He'll be mad at you for a while."

"Reasonable."

"Akira."

"I knew what I was getting into." Raidou pushed opened a pair of doors to see Daisuke standing near a desk with a receptionist.

"Ah, Raidou, I was just talking to Miss Kimiko about the victims last night."

"Welcome, Mr. Raidou Kuzunoha."

Raidou flinched at the name- his name- but managed to keep his gaze fully on Daisuke. "Any central area?"

"We'll need to look at a map, but..." The detective trailed off as Raidou pulled out his phone and began pulling up a map. "Alright, there were two outbreaks last night. One on the Rainbow Bridge, probably having to deal with a flying woman, and one near Harajuku. We should talk to the locals there and figure out if they saw anything." He now looked at the receptionist. "Miss Kimiko, do you know when the first patients from Harajuku came in?"

"I can look it up." She looked uncertainly to Daisuke.

"Please." Turning back to Raidou, Daisuke asked, "Do you think both cases were caused by this woman?"

"Possibly. Conceptually, she could have been on the Rainbow Bridge heading toward Harajuku."

"Excuse me," Himiko inquired softly, "It appears both cases happened at around the same time."

"Then it's not her."

Raidou shrugged. "Then we head for Harajuku and do this the old fashioned way."

"Old fashioned?" Daisuke mouthed as they began to head out of the hospital.

"Hey, mind reading is perfectly old fashioned."

**Author's Note: **Okay, so I forgot to put this in initially. My lovely friend, doomschneider, has been beta reading for me, or viciously editing and practically co-writing. Really, it's all in how you look at it. What this means is that quality should go up, and that cruelty should also rise. Have fun and please review.


	4. Chapter 4

"I hate teenagers," Raidou muttered as he stood backed against an overly colorful clothing store. "Shouldn't they be in school right now?"

"Most of these people are probably just out of school," Gouto reminded him.

"They're still teenagers."

His alp, a mostly naked woman with horn shaped hair and an ever-curious expression, looked up at him from her relaxed position on the ground. "Can I go back now?"

"No. Narumi-san should contact us soon with more leads."

"I'm hungry," she whined.

"Akira, give her some MAG."

With a sigh, Raidou leaned down and held out his hand. "Just a little."

Eyes wide the Alp reached out and bit his finger. Every demon had its preferred way to gather MAG and he had learned that a tiny bit of blood could keep her going for quite a while. Sure enough, after just a couple of drops she once more hovered in the air and he was able to lean against the wall again.

Raidou's phone vibrated and he pulled it out. "Where to next?"

"There's report of a commotion at Club Jing last night about five minutes before the first reported case of apathy syndrome."

"Where's Club Jing?"

"Not even a block away from you. It's by Sexual Bomber."

"I know where that is."

"Why do you know that?"

"I was fifteen. How could I not notice a store called Sexual Bomber?"

"Alright. I think they're open for reservations at this time, so someone should be there."

"It's not closed?" Raidou asked, turning down the street so he could head over there.

"There's a reason it took me so long to find out about this. The report was about some silver haired kid with a katana and got buried under everything else."

"The woman that attacked me had silver hair too."

"Is that important?"

"We'll find out." Raidou quickly hung up as he moved through the throngs of people. Even on a relatively tame weekday it was crowded.

He came upon Club Jing fairly quickly and knocked on the door. No one answered. He knocked again. "I'm here about the boy with the katana." Still no one answered. Casting his gaze up Raidou noticed an open window on the second story. "Hey, Alp," he directed, pointing towards the window, "get this door opened."

She nodded eagerly and drifted toward the window.

"Are you sure about this, Akira?"

"It's just breaking and entering."

"They just had a weapons scare and you intend to wander in with a katana and a hand gun."

"I don't think they'll argue."

"They may call the police."

"I am the police, or at least close enough."

"You also argue with the police regularly."

The door slid open to reveal a grinning alp, and a terrified man running towards it.

"What? How did it open? I'm sorry, sir, but we're closed."

"I need to talk to you about last night," Raidou informed him, stepping into the door and pulling out a small tube from his belt.

"No. We're cleaning up. I don't know who you are, but we're closed."

Raidou twisted a small knob on the tube and it slid open. The alp vanished to be replaced with a small snowman wearing an old taisho uniform and a black cap.

"Hee-ho, Raidou Fifteen."

Raidou closed the tube and nodded to the still stammering man. A small cloud of snow drifted from the demon and settled on the man.

"Why are you still here? You should be at the bar so we can talk properly."

"So you run the bar here?"

"Yes, sir. I'm just making sure everything is in order. Some kid ended up breaking quite a bit last night." The man wandered behind the bar and Raidou sat down across from him. "What would you like?"

"Just some water. I'm on duty."

The man turned around to get a glass, giving Raidou a good opportunity to slide the tube out again and summon Alp.

"Here you go. So, what did you need to talk about?"

"The kid who broke everything," Raidou answered. "What did he look like?"

"Silver hair. That stood out. He had a katana, and he was pretty big. Looked just a bit younger than you."

"Did the hair seem natural?"

"Well, it couldn't have been, but I see a lot of young people in here and I'll bet he kept it that color long term; he even dyed his eyebrows."

"Did you catch any sort of name?"

The man shrugged. "Guess it's hard to remember."

"He's lying," Alp whispered. "He knows that both the given and family name started the same."

"Anything could help narrow the field."

"I don't remember anything else. I'm sorry."

"He's scared," Alp pressed on. "This boy destroyed the glasses with lightning."

"Did he wear anything that might stand out?"

"He had glasses," the man admitted, "but anyone can just pop in a pair of contacts."

"He also didn't wear glasses the whole time and was rather handsome," Alp added.

"Are there any other employees that were here during the incident? I'd like to speak with them."

"They all came down with apathy syndrome."

"Why not you?"

"I don't know."

"The boy stopped something," Alp muttered. "Something was coming right for him and the boy stopped it."

"The boy didn't cause the apathy syndrome. What else happened?"

"Uh, I don't know. I only saw the boy, but he moved strangely and everyone around me got weird. Then, listen, you won't-"

"-believe me when I tell you that it was some kind of monster," Raidou finished. "Rather like the demon hovering in this room."

"D-demon?"

"What did it look like?"

"The demon?"

"The thing with the boy."

"I," he took a deep breath, "I don't really know. It was big, but it's like I felt it more than I saw it."

Raidou tilted his eyes towards Alp. "It was cool," she responded. "He says it was very cool. Ooo, and kind of sexy."

"Sexy?" Raidou whispered.

"Oh yeah, it had a large codpiece with a zipper," the barkeep replied cautiously.

Raidou raised an eyebrow at the man. "And you noticed that?"

"It was, I don't know, the whole thing was weird, but that just seemed even weirder. It looked like a man wearing a coat and then a huge codpiece with a zipper."

"It was vague, but you saw a codpiece?"

"I told you, it stood up."

"Stood up?"

"Stood out," the man quickly corrected, "it stood out."

"Very well." Raidou stood, tipping his cap towards the man. "Thank you very much for your cooperation."

"Wait! Did you really believe me?"

"Of course," Raidou replied with a small smile. With that he turned around and headed out the door.

**Author's Note**: I suck at investigation, but I'm good with dialogue, and I tend to suck at action too. I just thought I'd give you the heads up now. Hopefully my beta-reader can mitigate some of these problems. I think she's done pretty well in this segment.


	5. Chapter 5

"Do you know how hard it is to look someone up based on hair dye?" .

Raidou waved his hand dismissively and kept his eyes closed. Two days had passed since his questioning of the bartender and that still proved his best source of information. He was so used to going to into danger immediately that spending this long on investigation irritated him. The added pain of tutoring and school work ensured that he was busy, but left him with a feeling that nothing had been actually been accomplished.

"Didn't you say the guy you're tutoring has silver hair like that?"

"And I've been trying to investigate him, but it doesn't exactly come up naturally while discussing calculus." Raidou opened his eyes and cast a sidelong glance at Narumi-san or, more accurately, her computers. Raidou may have been the front and action of the detective agency, but Narumi-san, she was its heart, or maybe its brain.

"You could always find an excuse to go home with him. You're his tutor. That shouldn't be too hard." A keyboard clacked as Narumi-san typed something out.

"Go to his house?"

"You are a detective, you know," she chided.

"Devil Summoner," he corrected.

"And Raidou Kuzunoha is a detective."

He closed his eyes again. "Has Vincent been home?"

"Only when you've been at school. He's really busy right now and you really ticked him off."

"Thanks, Narumi-san," Raidou grumbled.

"Talk to Seta and get some information from him."

"You're really determined on this point."

"You have no leads except for the hair and occasionally wearing glasses. Whether he does or not, there's someone directly in front of you. You should have no difficulty scrutinizing him and he and fits the most basic aspects of the description. It won't take you long, so stop lounging around and do something."

Raidou sat up straight. "It's this or trail cheating husbands isn't it?"

For the first time Narumi-san glanced out from among her computers, high eyebrows smiling more than her thin mouth, her eyes sparkling with what Raidou could only describe as malicious intent.

Raidou stood, scooping up his bag. He looked over to Gouto, who stretched out on the couch as he stood. "You're not going to help me, are you?"

"Do you want to follow cheats, or find out more about a man you spend time with almost daily?" the cat responded.

"Right," Raidou responded. "When you put it that way the choice does seem obvious, doesn't it?" He headed towards the door, Gouto following.

"Raidou?"

"Yeah?"

Narumi-san paused for a moment, clearly selecting her next words before she settled on, "Be careful."

"I'm always careful," Raidou responded before opening the door and stepping into street. He could just hear Narumi-san's response as he closed the door.

"Like hell."

"Well, that was a vote of confidence," he remarked, sweeping his gaze over the crowd.

"She has a point."

"Do you really think Souji could be involved?"

"I don't know, but there's something strange about him either way."

With a nod Raidou headed down the steps and pulled out his phone, quickly flipping through the numbers. It didn't take long to find Souji Seta among the very few phone numbers he bothered to keep stored.

"Hello?" the young man answered almost immediately. His breath was heavy. Had he been running?

"Hello. This is Raidou Kuzunoha."

Souji let out a small gasp and began to breathe more normally. Was he relieved? "Oh, Raidou, is something wrong?" No, his tone didn't sound right for someone relieved.

"I was wondering if you wanted to meet somewhere today."

"On a Sunday?"

"Why not?"

"You always complain that we meet too often as it is."

"Actually, I wasn't thinking a tutoring session."

"Just a meeting?"

"Yeah."

Raidou could hear Souji fidget on the other end. Something definitely had him nervous. "Sure, where?"

"I don't know. How about Yoyogi Park?"

"Now?"

"Yeah, it won't take too long for me to get there." Raidou wrapped around the agency.

"Sure, I'll see you in a bit."

"See you later." Quickly, he hung up, putting his phone back and unlocking his motorcycle. No matter what else happened he was determined to make the day interesting. ****

Author's Note: Alright, I won't fight it. I've been avoiding scene breaks in this story and why start doing it now? Sorry this chapter is short, but I promise there's another one coming.

Thanks for reading this far, doubly so to the people who are following me and triply so those who review.**  
**


	6. Chapter 6

Yoyogi Park felt wrong. It wasn't simply proximity to the Dark Realm, as it had been in the medical center, but something else as well. Park visitors glanced around the treetops and the branches swayed just a little too much.

Raidou parked his motorcycle, but stayed near the entrance closest to the train station. "What do you think?"

"I think this was a bad meeting location," Gouto responded, jumping off the bike before sniffing the air. His hackles rose.

"Should I call him to change it?"

"He's probably on the train already."

"Guess I should be ready then." Raidou pulled out one of his tubes and summoned Alp. Mind reading too often proved indispensable. He then moved to turn and look across the way for Souji, but couldn't quite turn his back on the park either, and so ended up in an awkward sideways position.

Fortunately, Souji didn't take long.

"Raidou?"

The devil summoner turned to regard his pupil. His height and silver hair made him extremely easy to spot. Raidou had to smile slightly at the younger man's rather standard attire though. The somewhat dumbfounded face helped too.

"You made it here quickly."

Souji blinked, pulled out of his stupefied trance. "Yeah, I was already out and about, so I wasn't actually that far." He attempted to look Raidou in the eyes but his own insisted on drifting towards his tutor's attire instead.

"Did I interrupt something?" Raidou asked. He wasn't quite sure if he was trying to give Souji a chance to save face or if he wanted the guy to actually have to admit to disapproval.

"I was out and about because I didn't know what to do with myself."

"I thought you'd be busy spending time with friends."

Souji titled his head away, causing his butterfly hair clip to shine in the light.

"You wear that even when not studying?" Raidou queried, stepping closer. He'd never paid it too much mind before. The fact Souji wore such an obvious hairpiece had surprised him, but the fact he wore it wasn't unusual.

Gently, Souji tapped it. It seemed to Raidou he gently stroked one of the wings as it seemed to gently flutter under his touch.

"I guess I study so much I've just gotten used to it."

"It suits you."

"Thanks. Your hat suits you too."

"It was my grandfather's," Raidou replied, gently tilting the brim down.

Souji seemed to fall back.

"What is it?"

"Nothing. I guess we've never spoken informally, but you never mention your family."

"Neither do you."

"Maybe not, but you just don't seem the type."

"And why not?" Raidou had to admit, at this point he just wanted to back Souji in a corner. He understood politeness, but Souji tended to press even beyond that into shallow friendship. Or perhaps it was more that the young man tried too hard to form bonds.

"Maybe because you're almost my sensei."

Raidou crossed his arms, hearing Alp snicker. "He thinks you're old," she teased.

Souji jumped.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah. I just thought my phone rang. It startled me."

"You can answer it."

"That would be rude. I'll just call them back when we're done."

Raidou sighed. Getting Souji to actually be rude was going to take some effort. "Shall we head into the park then?"

"Why the park?"

Raidou shrugged. "It's near a station."

"Is it near where you live?"

"He really wants that information," Alp warned, "but I can't quite tell why." She straightened out a bit, growing vastly more alert.

"I visit this area regularly."

"Why?" Alp asked, seeming sincere herself. Raidou did well not to look at her in surprise. She knew the answer, so why had she asked?

"Should we find a bench in the park?" he offered. Even if the park was dangerous it would be better to go in and just handle the problem. Having someone else along was unlikely to be an issue.

Souji nodded and they headed through the entrance, Gouto trailing cautiously behind them.

Actually walking into the park felt like belly flopping into a lake for Raidou. It wasn't any more viscous than water, but he distinctly felt like he had hit it wrong, that it coated him in something disgusting. Exactly what, he couldn't say, but it made him shudder.

"Is this park really humid?" Souji asked.

Raidou was about to respond when a familiar sensation rushed through his body, an adrenaline charging tingle he knew well. The people in the park seemed to haze. Without even a thought Raidou drew his sword.

Souji jumped away from him and took a defensive stance. He hadn't faded away at all.

"He's not panicking," Alp noted.

"I noticed," Raidou responded, looking at the other man suspiciously. "How did you follow me here?"

"We walked in together," Souji responded.

"He's confused, but not surprised," Alp noted.

"That's an odd set," Raidou mused. He turned back to Souji. "How can you not know what's going on and expect it?"

Souji didn't respond, but his eyes seemed to blaze with a yellow light for just a moment. A form appeared behind him. It seemed oddly solid in the hazy world. What appeared to be a long black coat blew about as if in a harsh wind.

"A demon?" Raidou queried. No, it felt distinctly different from the demons he had encountered before- even using the broad definition of demon. Its energy just didn't seem to fit that.

As if to verify his suspicions, the odd being behind Souji launched a lightning bolt. Raidou moved his sword to block, but the bolt went right past him and slammed into something else. He could feel his hair stand on end, but not in the way it did when a demon attacked him in a similar fashion. What was going on?

"Akira," Gouto warned, "behind you."

Raidou turned his head slightly, not wanting to let his guard down, but his body quickly followed when he recognized the threat.

Pixies hovered nervously above strange... gooey, creatures on the ground. They looked like a black ooze had decided to grow arms and take up wearing masks; and a plethora of masks it was. Souji slowly came up beside him.

"Sorry if I startled you," he remarked.

Raidou got into a proper battle stance, sword raised and a fresh tube ready. He'd been wrong about Souji, but he'd been right to be suspicious. His encounter on the bridge- and the even stranger one before that- were beginning to make some sense.

"Are you a friend of Igor's?"

Souji looked a little surprised, but Raidou could see things clicking in place for him too. The young man pulled out a pair of glasses. "Are you a friend of Doctor Victor's?" he asked as he put them on.

"Friend might be pushing it," Raidou replied, pulling on the tube. A green light engulfed the area, causing the strange monsters to recoil, and Alp was replaced with a small snowman in an old fashioned uniform and cap. The cap matched Raidou's own.

"Jack Frost?" Souji mouthed.

"Talk later," Raidou instructed, and with that he dove into the swarm of monsters. He didn't need to instruct Raiho on how to handle the situation, he just needed to get these strange things down quickly.

The first group he went for wore blue masks with a cross carved out which would have usually allowed a person to see through it. Raidou slashed down with his katana while Raiho went for the middle and launched a circle of ice. Both attacks clearly hurt them, but not enough and he hadn't struck a weakness either, at least, assuming they worked like normal demons.

One shook its arms in the air and made an odd gurgling noise. Raidou dove to the side and immediately felt grateful for the decision. A lightning bolt scarred the ground where he had been standing and once more his hair stood on end from the electricity.

A moment later his entire body seized. Taking a deep breath, Raidou staggered. He could smell his hair burning. It seemed that all of these particular ones were perfectly happy to cast ziodyne, and that the lightning came from the sky instead of from them. He had to move, fast and often.

Taking on a more mobile tactic also meant taking on a more acrobatic one. Raidou selected one from the crowd, noting that none appeared injured, and zigzagged his way towards it. Once he was close he leaped over it.

The creature waved its arms in the air, as did those near it. Raidou crouched down in a defensive position then, channeling his MAG throughout his body and sword so it would protect him, even from lightning.

He could feel Raiho beside him. His demonic companion would be safe though, shielded completely by his MAG. He braced.

Even fully braced and defensive, getting struck by five lightning bolts hurt.

"Mabufula," Raidou whispered through his pain. With that he released Raiho from his MAG.

The little guy leapt into action and, with a quick twirl, a circle of ice surrounded him. "Die, hee-ho!"

Raidou knew the enemy wasn't immune to ice, and that was all he needed. Without waiting to see if all of them had been caught in the blast, or any of them frozen, he released his MAG through his sword.

Physics always objected to the set of incredibly fast cuts and slashes this technique released. Raidou had learned to control it, but the attack still made his arms sore as his sword moved too fast for the eye to follow in a string of cuts and slashes. His primary may have been the opponent in front of him, but the whole mob surrounding him was devastated by the attack.

Raiho let off another attack, finishing off the survivors of this little mob. Recognizing that he had spent too much energy at once for such a fight Raidou took the moment to absorb his fallen opponents' MAG.

It felt wrong. He could feel the familiar energy, but it felt combined with something else. Something he didn't like. Something that made his head hurt. Instinctively, he reached for the pain and stumbled back.

"Akira!"

"Raidou!"

He focused his eyes on Souji then, and found the younger man irritatingly blurry. The electricity which surrounded him merely enhanced the effect. Raidou felt ground against his knees.

Another one of the strange monsters approached him, its mask resembling an inverted face. Raiho leaped between them, launching ice. The creature simply batted the poor little demon aside.

The taste of bile filled Raidou's mouth, but that seemed inconsequential compared to his headache. He was only vaguely aware of his loosening hand.

His entire vision blazed in white and blue. Instinctively he reached out and collected the MAG as the creature dispersed.

He wasn't sure if he screamed or not, but it felt as though his head split in two and he felt earth against his cheek.

He could hear Souji call out to him, and Gouto, and even Raiho.

"Little Raidou!"

"Raidou!"

Huh, they all referred to him differently.

"Akira!"

His eyes finished closing. It hurt so much, the headache, and the eerie familiarity of the scene.

**Author's Note: **I apologize for the sudden gap in updates. My time to write and my time to edit have both dropped considerably. This semester is a lot rougher than I had anticipated when I started this. It is still going (I actually have about two and a half chapters already written) but actually getting a segment ready to post takes some time.


	7. Chapter 7

Had he really just opened his eyes? They refused to focus. Attempting to look around, all he could tell was that he was in a wooden building. Slowly, he raised himself to a sitting position. Everywhere felt dull, like his entire body slept. No, that wasn't right. Something was asleep, but it wasn't his limbs.

He could hear the scraping sound as someone roughly wrote with chalk in another room. Tilting his head, Raidou could just make out a traditional sliding door. The trickle of light which came through made the wooden door highlighted the lack of any light within the small room. Gently, he rose to his feet, not entirely sure they could hold him.

The sound of chalk stopped.

Clenching his hands into fists to ensure they were still there, Raidou walked unsteadily towards the door. He could hear some sort of movement in the next room.

Reaching towards the harness where he kept his tubes, Raidou became suddenly aware that he didn't have any of his combat equipment on. A quick glance around the room didn't reveal it either. He still wore the same clothes though, and that offered at least a small level of comfort. He hadn't be stripped down at least.

He slammed the door open, not even physically capable of sliding it gently.

The smell of rotting flesh and formaldehyde greeted his nose.

"Wha...?"

"Surprised? I thought you might be," a familiar voice called out.

Raidou looked across the room and found himself leaning against the door frame for support. A young man, likely in his mid-twenties, stared back at him. His eyes blazed an eerie yellow, and he sat comfortably upon a pile of corpses in various states of decay.

"What have you done to them?" Raidou choked. At the base of the pile he could see Doctor Victor, but towards the top were faces far more harmful to his psyche. Vincent lay recently dead, clearly killed by the katana would across his chest. Narumi-san lay on the other side, a bullet in her head. Daisuke looked as though he had been ripped apart, and the body this individual sat upon..."Grandfather."

"What do we care?" the person asked in his eerily familiar voice. Raidou looked at him properly once more, taking in his ragged pi t-shirt and carefully trimmed sideburns.

"Why did you do this?"

"Why do you care?" The young man stood up, revealing a weapon belt with a Katana and handgun. The white of the belt stood out in the darkness more than the weapons themselves.

"You killed them."

"Are you referring to the top layer, or the ones underneath?" He strode down from among the bodies to stand at the base. "The ones on top killed themselves and I am only responsible for the ones on the bottom." He kicked the corpse of Doctor Victor to accentuate his point. "This man was supposed to live forever, but he overstepped his bounds and so, friendship or no," he glanced up to Vincent's corpse, "he had to be eradicated." He batted his long eyelashes innocently.

"What do you know about that?"

"I know that seeing you insecure and frightened makes me smile."

"You look like me," Raidou commented, trying desperately to get a foothold in the conversation, or at least an explanation.

"If you ignore our mannerisms, dress, and eyes I suppose I do." The strange individual stepped closer.

"Who are you?"

"I am Akira Takahashi." He bowed. "It is a pleasure to see you again, Raidou Kuzunoha the Fifteenth." He spat on the floor.

Raidou slid to the ground. "That's my-"

"You gave it up! You tossed it out like some garbage, but what made you think it was destroyed? What made you think the person you were before would stop?"

Raidou looked at the corpses again. "Why do you target me as a Devil Summoner then?"

Akira rushed up to him and leaned down so they were face to face. "You are willing to kill, and to maim, and to lose. Why these people? They have never been your true targets."

"Then tell me who my true targets are."

"You tell me. What do you want most in the world?"

Raidou looked at him blankly.

Akira leaned in and whispered, "Vengeance on those who hurt us."

"What are you?"

Akira stood, revealing himself to be quite tall, and said, "I am a Shadow."

"Sha-?"

"Raidou!" a voice called. "Raidou, can you hear me?"

"Seta?"

"Izanagi," Akira hissed, casting his gaze quickly around the room.

"Raidou, you have to get out of there now, before your Shadow appears."

Akira snarled and drew his gun. His motions were fluid as he pointed it at Raidou's head.

"Think about your bonds over here, and all the things that make you Raidou," Souji continued, seemingly unaware of what was happening. "I'm sorry. I didn't know this could happen. It didn't occur to me you could absorb pieces of the shadows themselves."

"Are you going to shoot me?" Raidou asked.

"Unfortunately, I do not fully understand the consequences your death could have on me."

"Raidou, if one does appear, don't speak to it. I've never seen anyone handle their Shadow alone," Souji pressed.

"Bit late for that," Raidou muttered, very aware of the gun barrel on his forehead.

Akira smiled, pressing the gun tighter. "Well? Go home. I don't want you here."

"Just think about your friends here and follow my voice. That should guide you back."

Raidou looked Akira in the eyes. "We'll meet again, won't we?"

Akira pulled the gun away. "Of course. Until you come to terms with who you really are, I will always exist."

Raidou nodded and closed his eyes, thinking of Vincent, and Daisuke, and Narumi-san.

"Just follow my voice."

Raidou's eyes snapped open to a familiar hospital interior. Souji leaned over him and someone Raidou didn't know peered over the young man's shoulders.

"Thank goodness," Souji muttered, stepping away.

The person behind him came forward and examined Raidou. His eyes, while blue, held a similar light as Akira's had.

"Raidou's conscious," Gouto announced. Raidou wanted to look towards his friend and mentory, but those eyes held him in place.

"Who are you?"

"Currently? Butterfly."

"Were you at the park?"

He nodded and stood up straight. Seeing Butterfly framed with Souji in the background it occurred to Raidou that this odd individual, seeped with power, was physically very small.

"You were the hairpiece," Raidou concluded.

Butterfly nodded again.

"What are you?"

"Why don't we save that for somewhere more private?" Souji commenting, coming up beside Butterfly. He gently rested his hand on the man's unruly dark blue hair. Butterfly nodded and seemed to fade away, his center becoming a blue butterfly for just a moment before he solidified into the hairpiece Raidou was familiar with. Souji placed it in his hair.

The door slammed open and Vincent charged into the room, breathing heavily.

"Raidou, what happened? I couldn't find anything wrong with you."

"Vincent?"

Gouto jumped on the small table beside the bed. "As usual, he's pulled through when you get yourself into trouble."

Raidou nodded. "Vincent, I'm sorry."

"For what?" the doctor demanded, coming up to Raidou and taking his pulse.

"For always being such a burden."

"You're not a burden."

Raidou smiled. Vincent may have responded somewhat harshly, but he suspected the message had been understood.

"You seem fine, but we still don't know what made you pass out."

Raidou glanced at Souji.

"Heh. He should be fine, at least for a while."

Vincent looked at both of them. "For a moment there, it almost looked like you were coming down with Apathy Syndrome."

"Huh?"

"Make sure you're home when I next come back so I can take another look."

"Sure. Can I go now, though?"

Vincent nodded and turned to regard Souji. "I don't know what you got him involved in, but make sure he comes out of it okay." With that he stood and left the room.

"You have a good friend," Souji remarked.

"I guess he's good enough."

"Should we leave?" Souji inquired, glancing nervously around the room.

"Yeah." Raidou looked at Gouto. "We should discuss what happened."

Souji sighed. "We're fairly near my home, and my parents shouldn't be back for a while." His eyes widened. "Never mind. They may not be back, but there are those who already know about me."

"Let's go to the Narumi Detective Agency then. Even if we can't get away from Narumi-san, she'll make sure no one else hears, and she'll stay out of it unless we need her."

"Good call, Akira," Gouto commended.

Raidou winced, but stood up without saying anything.

**Author's Note: **Yay, I introduced Akira! It could have gone better, but he's at least seventy percent of why I wanted to write this story. He'll be fun to travel with too. I know about where he'll end up, but I have very little idea of the journey except for a few key points. Actually, it's about like that for everyone.

You've also no met Butterfly. What do you think of him and Akira? How am I doing with Souji? This story is kind of hard on me because I'm used to writing lots and lots of verbose dialogue, and none of these characters talk a whole lot. They have a good vocabulary, but they rarely use it and when I'm playing with more established characters in the cannon I'll have to try and talk like them. That should be interesting.

I'd like to thank domshneider (I think I spelled that right) for editing for me and helping me clarify not only the story on paper, but my own thoughts and ideas. I'd also love to share a bit of trivia she shared with me: "food for thought: i found out today that "butterfly" in Korean is "nabi" which, coincidentally, is also how they would pronounce the name "Navi."

Hope you guys keep reading and please, review! There's a lot of ideas going on in here and it's all pretty amorphous, so I'd love input.


	8. Chapter 8

**Authors Note: **Warning! There are some spoilers to Persona 4 Arena. I've decided to incorporate it into the story and we are now in the information dumping portion. I am trying to keep them minimal and it shouldn't be a problem, but if you desperately don't want anything that might hint to the story of the game you have been warned.

Souji seemed rather stiff as he sat on the sofa in the Narumi Detective Agency. Narumi-san had prepared some tea for them and Butterfly sat beside him, looking about ready to fall asleep. Sitting across from them, Raidou thought it rather humorous how different those two, who had so clearly matched each other's attitudes in the hospital, really were when left to their own devices.

"What is a Shadow?" he opened.

Souji sighed. "You don't start lightly, do you? Hmm, I doubt anyone knows all the details, but a shadow is basically a fragment of the subconscious. There are shadows like the ones we fought at the park, which seem to represent a specific trait people usually conceal, and then there are Shadows like the kind I was worried about you meeting."

"And those are created from individuals?"

"They are what we conceal from ourselves. Optimally, a Shadow is confronted and accepted, truly accepted. In that case it becomes a Persona."

"Which is what you have?"

"Basically. Butterfly and I are fairly unique. We possess the Wild Card and can change persona. Though, my base persona- and persona of choice- is Izanagi."

"And yours?" Raidou inquired, glancing over at Butterfly.

Butterfly looked away.

"Butterfly is odd, even for one with the Wild Card. Even Wild Cards have a persona which comes most naturally. For me that is Izanagi, as well as a rather matured form of him. Butterfly has three."

"And they are?"

"Don't be so insistent." Butterfly muttered.

"If Persona represents the person, I deserve to know what yours is."

"That's true," Souji admitted. He glanced at Butterfly, who gave a small nod. "His are Orpheus, Thanatos, and..."

"And...?"

"Messiah," Butterfly whispered.

"Messiah?" Raidou mouthed. "You were human once, weren't you?"

"I thought the only personal question was about my Personae?"

Souji sighed. "Please, no fighting until we have enemies. Raidou, it's your turn. Did you encounter your Shadow?"

Raidou closed his eyes. He didn't want to answer, but he had pushed Butterfly into answering similar questions, questions which had, in fact, helped his understanding considerably. "Yes."

"If we can go in and confront it together that might simplify things. You'd gain a Persona and our enemy would have one less Shadow at his disposal."

"Why does that matter?"

"We believe the enemy wants to make an army of shadows, but he's gotten less cohesive."

"What do you know about this enemy?"

"He's some sort of hacker, and he can take many forms, or at least create images of them."

"A hacker?" Narumi-san inquired from her desk.

Souji jumped at the sound of her voice. "Yeah."

"I may not understand most of what's going on, but hacking I understand. Do you want me to create a list of people who might be capable of such a thing? What can you tell me about his abilities?"

"Uh," Souji looked helplessly to Raidou and Butterfly. "He hacked an extremely intelligent robot from afar."

Narumi-san nodded. "That gives me enough to get started."

"He seems to influence humans as well, but we don't have details on that."

Narumi-san was already typing.

"Can she really get us a list?"

Raidou smiled. "Definitely. How helpful depends on your information, but she's good."

"This person operates in secret."

Raidou shrugged. "I'm not sure that really changes the odds of him being on the list." He leaned forward, resting his chin on his hands. "How long has this been going on?"

"About two years."

"Two years?"

Souji shrugged. "We haven't been able to find leads."

"We?"

"Do you really think Butterfly and I are the only Persona users?"

"Do you really think I am the only Devil Summoner? That doesn't mean I know the others."

"Persona users tend to congregate and then..." he looked towards Butterfly.

"Simply put Persona users awaken in groups and most of us know each other."

"You don't want to tell me about them."

"Tell me more about your Shadow," Butterfly demanded.

"That was sudden," Souji muttered.

"It's alright, I just," Raidou looked nervously at Narumi-san working at the computer, "I'm nervous to discuss him here."

"Do you pity it?" Butterfly asked harshly.

"Should I?"

"Do you think we should deal with it?" Souji asked.

Butterfly nodded. "If nothing else I would like to meet it."

"I don't want to go back."

Souji leaned forward so he could speak more softly. "I know it's hard, but it only gets worse if you leave it. We've never seen what happens if someone leaves without dealing without their Shadow, but it could be disastrous. Our enemy may take advantage of it too." He took a deep breath. "You deserve a Persona."

"If you go in with us you should be safe," Butterfly stated.

"When do we go?" Raidou pressed.

Butterfly stood. "Now. We need someplace private. Someplace safe for our return."

"Vincent won't be back for about five hours," Narumi-san remarked.

"How does she do that?" Souji breathed in amazement.

Raidou shrugged at Souji's confusion. Narumi-san had always been the perfect secretary and information gatherer. She knew what she was doing.

"Upstairs then?" Butterfly asked. A light excitement tinged his voice and Raidou could have sworn he saw a fluttering butterfly in the strange man's chest.


	9. Chapter 9

"Where does the Shadow live?" Raidou asked as he stood across from Butterfly.

"That depends on you," Souji responded from across the room.

"The Whale," Butterfly whispered. He had to stand on tips of his toes to look Raidou in the face, and yet he still seemed imposing. "Where all of humanity gathers." His eyes narrowed and flashed. "Where humanity sends its shadows and pain."

"There are many ways to enter and interact with the Whale, and for it to interact with us." Souji looked to Butterfly, but the strange entity seemed intent on looking away.

"We're about to enter it," Raidou reasoned.

Butterfly and Souji nodded in unison, their movements identical despite their different builds.

"What's your method?"

"I bring you in." Butterfly held out his hands, palm up.

Raidou didn't hesitate. Gouto landed on his back as he placed his hands on Butterfly's. He had to trust this strange new companion, and face the Shadow who had confronted him. If he thought it over for even a moment, Raidou knew he'd change his mind. That couldn't happen. Gouto's familiar weight felt good on his , he realized he was in pain.

Raidou Kuzunoha the Fifteenth was used to pain. He'd suffered just about every form of pain in his ten years as protector of the Capital, had trained his whole life for that. This hurt.

Butterfly was inside him, his mere presence tearing Raidou's soul to shreds.

I'm going to die. It didn't feel like a thought. It felt like reality.

Don't worry. This is how death feels, but you are not dying. It's not your time.

The voice echoed in his soul, but it didn't sound quite like Butterfly. That was as far as Raidou's mind got before his very soul erupted in a scream. Two screams. Two very different screams which one moment caused everything to tremor and, in the next, were silenced.

An image of Akira- his Shadow- beaten and bloody, staring in a panic at a wall, flashed through his mind. Wait. Raidou remembered that scene.

He felt the screams once more, this time three.

Souji leaned over him, brows creased against the same glasses he wore in the fight. The screams and pain had stopped, but Raidou still felt his soul throb in lingering pain.

"Sorry. You grabbed his hands before I could warn you."

"What was that?"

Souji tilted his head to the side and Raidou followed it to see Butterfly standing a bit away. "It's hard for him to touch a person without sharing his pain, and harder to touch a soul. It doesn't usually bother him this much."

Raidou sat up and Gouto rolled off his stomach to his legs.

"Are you feeling alright?" Gouto asked, jumping off Raidou's lap and shaking his head to clear it.

"Yeah. You?"

"Just disoriented."

Raidou stood, instinctively brushing himself off. Nothing came off his leather coat. Looking around everything seemed vague, even the ground beneath him. The air was filled with fog- or maybe slowly drifting feathers. Yet nothing blocked his view, merely filled it with haze. Souji's light coloration nearly blended in and Butterfly...

Looking closer at Butterfly made Raidou shudder. In a world of nondescript light Butterfly somehow remained surrounded in shadow, a single blue light shining in the center. The shadow filled Raidou with instinctive dread.

"We should go." Souji looked at Butterfly. "Can you find the Shadow?"

Butterfly nodded, as did the shadow which hung around him, and began to walk off. Souji and Raidou fell in close behind.

"I wonder what everything will look like?" Souji mused as they walked.

"Meaning?"

"It depends on you. A Shadow forms an environment and causes similar shadows to gather."

Raidou glanced down. The rooms he had seen were very traditional and resembled a place he hadn't been to in over ten years.

"Sorry if I'm taking this too lightly."

Raidou shrugged. "You're used to this."

Souji cast him a sidelong glance. "What are you used to?"

Images of the corpses his Shadow had sat upon flashed through Raidou's mind. For a moment he felt the warm sensation of Dr. Victor's blood running down his arms. "Killing."

Souji stopped. Ahead of them, Butterfly halted as well, waiting. Raidou stopped beside Souji, but couldn't look him in the face.

Souji's breathing came out ragged. "People?"

"Yes."

"You can get used to that?"

He couldn't let that question be. It demanded an answer, but lashing out at Souji, whom he really knew very little about, seemed unfair. And something in his tone caught Raidou's attention. It wasn't confrontational, but questioning and truly confused. It reminded Raidou that he was notably older- and more worldly- than the young man.

Looking over he could see Souji standing limply, arms dead against his side.

"I have to." This answer was better; though not specific, it was simple truth.

Souji turned his head sharply and their eyes locked. Raidou could see the questions in his companion's eyes. Souji turned to look ahead once more, and their little group continued moving through the haze.

**Author's Note: **Look who's back! There should be quite a bit more writing soon, since I really need to stop the timeline from moving too far ahead in my mind (my brain has already finished this story and I'm not quite sure how). Hopefully I can update a little more frequently now. The next couple weeks are going to be rough, but after that I might aim for about once a week.

Hope to see you in the next chapter!

P.S. to Jin: Yes, that's the park in Nocturne.


	10. Chapter 10

A thick wooden gate blocked the trio's progress and a tall fence stretched into the haze.

"This is new," Souji remarked as he stared up at the gate.

"It's not a full barrier," Butterfly added, placing his hand on the thick wood.

Raidou looked more intently at the gate, taking note of a faded symbol on the wood. "It's not for us."

Souji looked at Raidou. "What do you mean?"

Butterfly recoiled, shaking his hands as though something disgusting had gotten on it. "It keeps the Shadow in."

"But it stops us, too." Souji reasoned.

Raidou sighed. Souji may have been used to this strange world, but he seemed woefully unprepared for other oddities. "Anything that should never enter the world should never even indirectly enter the world."

"Isolation." Butterfly whispered.

"Why would this be here?" Souji pressed. "You've already met your Shadow."

Raidou took a deep breath. "I put it there."

Butterfly nodded. "If we open this you have to resolve things with your Shadow."

"If we leave it here someone else might tamper with it." Souji looked at Raidou, as did Butterfly.

Raidou stepped closer to the door. Placing a hand on his katana, the devil summoner took a deep breath. The strange Mag he had sensed from the shadows in the park permeated the area, but within the katana it felt pure. He channeled that through his body, forming a circuit between himself and the sword. The seal came into focus, now a physical rope and charm.

He barely registered the movement. The rope and charm broke apart. The world returned to its hazy focus. His sword was drawn, its tip next to Souji's forehead. A few stands of silver hair drifted in the fog. The heavy wooden gate creaked open.

Raidou sheathed his sword. Even with the gate open he couldn't see the courtyard beyond.

"What happened?" Souji asked.

"I broke the seal." No further explanation seemed necessary so Raidou strode through the open gate.

He could smell the cherry blossoms. The haze took on a different quality. It could have resembled feathers before, but now the air felt thick with falling blossoms. A simple gravel path led to a traditional wooden shrine, very similar to the Nameless Shrine. Two Inari statues stood by the stairs, crumbling and filthy to the point they were barely recognizable. The plants along the walkway were wilted, as though hit by a long drought.

"Cherry blossoms?"

Raidou turned his head to look at the baffled Souji, then towards Butterfly. The shadow seemed larger than it had before, wrapping itself around the more human figure.

"Kuzunoha Village is covered by the blossoms in the spring." Raidou looked straight ahead again.

"Akira," Gouto muttered. "If these plants were alive _"

"It looks like the shrine where I trained. I arrived as the blossoms fell."

"I don't see any shadows," Souji commented.

"Mine is inside."

With quick nods the group approached the shallow stairs. A tingle ran down Raidou's spine as they approached, and his mouth felt dry.

"Ready?" Souji asked, adjusting his glasses.

"There's already no turning back," Butterfly reminded them. A piece of his shadow solidified, forming a katana too large to really fit in his hands.

They were nervous. Raidou looked down to Gouto.

"Let's go."

The tingle seemed a little warmer then. They walked past the altar to the wooden door behind it. Taking a deep breath, Raidou placed his hand on the old door. The warped wood made it hard to distinguish a handle. He found it.

Raidou slammed the door open, putting more force into the effort than required. It was much lighter than he had anticipated and the door clacked loudly against its frame.

A wooden hallway stretched into the darkness.

"Still no shadows," Butterfly whispered. His soft voice faded into the darkness, as though he spoke through a pillow.

"Why not?" Souji mused.

"You sure?" Raidou asked Butterfly, tensing. "Something's here."

Souji pulled something out of his pocket. Light filled the hallway, casting away the darkness. Raidou immediately wished the other man would just put that away.

Vincent glared at them from further down. At least, his head did. It swayed on a long neck before a slender torso that exposed the rib cage. One arm hung awkwardly and held a large needle. The other arm was large and muscular. A curved horn jutted out from his crotch and a serpent's tail replaced legs.

"Dog," the abomination hissed, sliding forward.

Raidou drew his sword and began to pull out Raiho's tube, but stopped. Raiho was more than a minion, and he didn't want his friend to see this.

The creature charged.

A powerful bolt of electricity slammed into its chest. The creature staggered back from the force, but no marks remained on its emaciated form. Butterfly flashed past, katana leading. The slender arm fell to the ground, needle clanking against the wooden floor.

Unfortunately, that didn't account for the stronger arm, which reached across to grab the top of Butterfly's head. The abomination lifted the boy off of the ground.

"Loki," Souji called out. Ice surrounded the creature.

It squeezed its hand and moved forward, ice falling off easily. Butterfly seemed to burst and the entire area filled with blue butterflies, a grim shadow seeming to link them together.

Raidou could no longer see the abomination. The fear let him go. He would kill it or it would kill him. It was nothing more than insane demon after all. Raidou positioned his katana before him.

The creature flailed at the butterflies but couldn't seem to really hurt them.

Raidou charged. If the butterflies were directly surrounding the monster he knew where to aim. His katana hit something and kept going, sliding in until the hilt stopped its progress. Raidou was nose to nose with Vincent's face.

"I won't let this happen." Raidou channeled his Mag, letting loose the same energy that caused the flurry of blows. The enhanced katana easily slashed down, then up. He nicked the shoulder and ended his swing.

Raidou took a step back, flicking his sword to remove the blood before sheathing it. The head fell where he had been standing.

Beside him the butterflies came together to form Butterfly's human form. Souji's loping steps thudded behind them.

"Well done," Butterfly whispered.

Raidou didn't look at him. He didn't look at anything. Everything seemed far away.

"It had to be done."

A slow chill slid down Raidou's spine. Had he said that? He couldn't remember if his lips had moved or not.

"Anything that threatens the Capital must be destroyed."

"Raidou," Souji pressed, coming beside him.

"Should I destroy myself then?"

Something bumped against his leg. Looking down Gouto came into focus, staring up at him.

"You don't have to destroy yourself," the guardian whispered.

Raidou nodded and looked ahead. "Let's go."

"Let's run," the voice which could or could not have been him echoed in the darkness.

**Author's Note: **Look, it's a new chapter! In a timely manner no less. I can't believe the number of people making it to chapter 9 of this story and am definitely flattered. That said, hits are kind of like eating candy. They're wonderful, but somehow not very filling. If there's something you're not sure of, really love, or might like to see changed, please review and let me know. If you've made it this far I assume there's a reason and would love to know what it is. I'd hate to fall down on the job and get rid of whatever drew people to this story in the first place.

You all know what this mean. Please, read and review.


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Apology: **Sorry about the wait, guys. I'd love to tell you I'll be more consistent, but that's unlikely. However, I am mulling over another Raidou fifteen which would go into how he became Raidou. Any thoughts? Basically, I'm in Thailand right now and am considering having him travel here while hunting down a demon. Does that sound like something you'd enjoy?

Beyond that I am continuing to peck through this story. It feels so fast in my head and is then so slow to write. Unfortunately, I'm really slow with combat and so that's really dragging things down. Oh well, hope it's still enjoyable and that all that staring at word choice pays off.

The untz-unts of club music drifted through the traditional paper door. Raidou could see Souji's eyebrows fold in confusion. Butterfly, however, seemed completely unfazed.

"You know, don't you?"

Butterfly shrugged.

"What's beyond that door?" Souji demanded.

Raidou smirked, feeling more at ease with a slightly increased sense of superiority. Not knowing something others did clearly bothered the young man intensely. Despite the brief respite from his worries however, Raidou knew he had to start resolving this quickly. He placed a hand on the door, took a deep breath, then opened it slowly.

A colorful night club opened itself before them. Lights blazed and music thrummed through the air. Four poles stood on a single platform and reached to the ceiling. A bar stood in the back.

"Rise," Souji muttered, seeming to remember something unpleasant.

"Why is it empty?" Butterfly asked.

The music stopped. The flashing lights turned off. Only a steady multi-colored light remained. The club had closed. Raidou tensed.

A choking sob echoed through the room. A moment later a spotlight shone on one of the poles.

"Weak, weak, weak." The voice came from where the spotlight shone and all around at once, permeating the very air. The words numbed Raidou and he wondered if, perhaps, he had spoken them.

A young man hung limply from the center pole, tied with red ribbon. He'd been completely stripped and blood oozed from a myriad of wounds to drop into a shallow bowl beneath him.

"Scared. I have to stop being so scared. I'm terrified," the boy whispered under his breath. It came out ragged, scared, but intense.

Raidou stepped back, hands trembling.

"If I want to fight back I can't...I can't be scared."

A humanoid shadow appeared before the hanging man, serrated knife in hand. Slowly, almost gently, it drew the knife against the man's skin. New red pearls dropped into the bowl. The shadow leaned in to lick the man's stomach.

"We need to act." Souji's voice trembled and he seemed firmly rooted to the spot.

"Look away."

Once again Raidou couldn't decide if he had spoken or not. He could feel the wounds on his stomach though, and shuddered instinctively from the tongue licking away the stray blood.

The shadow sent its tongue lower. To the sides of him Raidou could see Butterfly tense and Souji gape, surprised.

"I can't stop it." Raidou fell to his knees, the force of memory too strong to fight any longer. The knife slid along the young man's ass, leaving a trail of blood in its wake. "I can't stop it." Something wet slid down his face.

Butterfly rushed forward, contained rage bursting forth. Darkness enveloped the shadow, sigils etching themselves into the air. The shadow disappeared along with the darkness a moment later. A quick slash at the ribbons cut the man down from the pole and he vanished as he fell.

The bowl remained.

With a quick glance at Raidou, Souji rushed forward. He peered into the bowl when he got there.

A hand reached up out and grabbed his throat.

Raidou lurched to his feet.

The Shadow, Akira, rose from the bowl and tossed Souji aside as though the large man were simply a rag doll. The young man landed heavily against the wall.

"You're his Shadow," Butterfly whispered, keeping focus firmly on Akira.

With a glare, Akira stepped out of the bowl. "You aren't supposed to know. No one is supposed to know."

"Know what?" Butterfly demanded.

With a guttural roar he wasn't convinced he could actually make, Raidou charged Akira. The Shadow easily sidestepped the sloppy attack and Raidou fell over the bowl's rim. He tucked his body closer as he fell, falling fully into the bowl now, instead of slamming his head against the rim. Butterfly came in with his katana raised.

Akira smiled and rushed forward. He seemed to grab at something then and pulled back before making actual contact. Butterfly vanished.

"What did you do?" Raidou demanded as he stood again.

The Shadow turned and fired a bolt of energy at the still stunned Souji. He disappeared as well.

"Summoning." A katana appeared in Akira's hand. "Now we have time to ourselves."

"Summoning?"

"No matter how much I fight, how much I drain, summoning is in the blood."

"Akira, don't let him talk," Gouto warned.

"I'm not," Akira retorted.

"Take cover," Raidou warned.

"Don't worry. I only have eyes on my murderer." The Shadow took a fighting stance. "Will you resurrect me, or silence me for eternity, Raidou Kuzunoha the Fifteenth?"

Raidou took the same stance. "Silence."

Akira was his shadow. That meant they would use a similar style and possess similar skills. Confident in that assertion Raidou entered a short bout, receiving a nasty gash on his shoulder in the process. Raidou had known Akira to be physically strong, but he hadn't expected the increases skill as well.

"Weak," Akira hissed.

Raidou gritted his teeth. Despite the rage in Akira's eyes the Shadow hung back, patiently waiting for the next mistake.

"You're furious," Raidou shouted out. "Why not charge?"

Akira shrugged. "Why teach a forgettable lesson?"

Raidou sprang forward. Akira slid his katana against Raidou's as their blades clashed, catching them hilt to hilt. Just as Raidou's eyes widened with realization Akira moved one hand and reached for his opponent's throat. A quick twist of his other hand sent Raidou's katana flying away.

The cold cylinder of the pole hit Raidou hard as Akira slammed him against it. His back seemed to mesh perfectly against it.

"Weak, weak. Weak!" Akira drove the katana through Raidou's gut and let go.

"Raidou!" Gouto shouted.

Being impaled against a stripper pole was certainly an odd sensation and Raidou felt like a caught fish desperately gasping for air. Everything hurt, but Akira had avoided any vital organs and the external bleeding seemed mostly stopped by the katana's hilt. He would eventually die like this, but it would take a very long time. In the meantime it just hurt.

"Why are you so weak?" Akira stepped back. "Why do I have to suffer?" Raidou could have sworn he saw Akira's hair flash blonde. "Why can't I make my own choices?"

Akira stepped forward once more, but Gouto launched himself between them, hackles raised. "Stay away from him."

"Don't worry." Akira sat down so his head could rest against Raidou's legs. "I won't let him die."

"I thought that was your goal."

"Really?"

Even in his pain-induced haze Raidou thought Akira seemed tired and felt he could hear a quiver in the Shadow's voice. From exhaustion or fear?

"I only thought this far," the Shadow admitted with a chuckle.

"You won't kill him?"

"Heh, so insistent." Raidou felt Akira tilt his head. "If I kill him, where will that put me?"

Raidou attempted to look down so he could see Akira, but the movement was too much. It hurt too much. He passed out.


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note: **Sorry it's taken so long between updates. I'm currently working on chapter fifteen, but I'm still not really happy with a fair chunk of this chapter, so I was waiting for more input. However, the semester is busy for everyone and I didn't get a whole lot. Finally decided I should just post it.

The pain had stopped some time ago. Raidou could breathe properly again too. Craning his neck low he could just make out Akira asleep against his leg. Gouto had curled up into a tighter, and tenser, ball than usual beside the Shadow so he'd notice if Akira stirred.

"I need to help my allies," Raidou croaked. His dry throat and the lingering, numbing, pain making it hard to talk.

Akira looked up at him with a tear-stained face. "Don't you want to know?"

"Know what?"

"What happened to mom and dad."

"Not really."

"You're lying."

"How would you know?"

"I'm you."

If Akira had said that during the fight Raidou felt he would have shouted in denial, whether he knew it was true or not, but now...it didn't feel true, but it wasn't a lie either.

"Would you take me down?"

Akira stood, waking Gouto, and pulled out the katana. Raidou slid to the ground, Akira guiding him, until he could sit leaning against the pole.

"Diarahan," the Shadow whispered. Raidou's wounds healed entirely, leaving him with only a vague stiffness.

"You can do that?"

"Here," Akira answered simply. He sat beside Raidou.

"Are you alright?" Gouto asked, sitting beside his companion.

"Yeah. Thanks, Akira."

"It's only because I don't know what happens if you die," the Shadow murmured in reply.

"Wouldn't you be free?"

"Where are the freed Shadows?" Akira pulled his legs tightly against his chest.

"Maybe Butterfly would know."

"They don't exist. I am you. If you die so do I."

"What happens if you die?"

Akira shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe you wouldn't even notice."

"I guess I didn't notice you before," Raidou admitted.

"I'm stubborn."

Tilting his head Raidou took a closer look at his counterpart. Even in a calm state anger lit the Shadow's eyes and a deep sadness made his face appear gaunter than it really was. If Raidou looked into a mirror this wasn't the face he'd see.

"Akira always gets himself into trouble."

"And Raidou is nothing but a tamed dog," Akira retorted.

"Would you rather I be an Inugami?"

"Would it really be so bad?"

Absentmindedly, Raidou reached down to scratch Gouto's head. "I couldn't do that."

Akira shook his head. "You can."

"I can't back down from my duty."

"Avenging your parents can be your duty."

Raidou stopped scratching Gouto. "I can't let Grandfather down."

He expected Akira to sneer, but the Shadow simply looked away. They sat in silence.

The mist which hung over the world now hung over Raidou's thoughts as well. Akira left a lot to think about, but at this moment he simply felt calm. Raidou closed his eyes.

Sensing the stillness, Akira looked over to Raidou. His companion seemed almost dead in his relaxation. The uncomfortable sense that Raidou Kuzunoha was simply a hollow corpse stabbed his chest. Was this all that remained when Akira was gone?

Something tickled the edge of his senses. Slowly, careful not to disturb Raidou, he stood. Someone was in his territory. He sniffed the air.

Several humans, possibly all Persona users. Sighing, Akira kicked Raidou awake.

"What?" Raidou instinctively reached for his katana as he stood.

"Trespassers." Akira gave a feral smile. "Enough of them that I might need some help."

"Fight together?"

"We can stop them in the hallway."

"Who's 'they'?"  
"Does it matter?" Akira sprinted to the door, covering the room in a few long strides. Raidou followed him, surprised by his own willingness. Gouto seemed surprised as well, but didn't complain.

Hurtling through the door, Raidou became immediately aware of how different the hallway felt now that he was with Akira. The haze lingered, but it felt more like a warm blanket than a threatening obstruction. A group of five humans, four men and one woman, halted in surprise.

"What do you want?" Akira snarled, holding his katana in front of him.

"Merely to speak with you," the man in front of the group announced, holding his arms wide. His brow creased when he saw Raidou standing behind Akira, but he quickly got rid of the sign of discomfort.

"Then speak," Akira demanded.

"We wish for your aid against those who would take away the free will of humanity."

"Too wordy."

"We want to grant this world free will."

"Who are you?" Raidou blurted out.

"Will you help us?"

"He's ignoring you," Akira whispered to Raidou.

"I noticed."

Akira turned back to the spokesman. "Still, good question. Who are you?"

"We are simply a group of concerned individuals."

"Now they're just being evasive," Raidou noted.

"Irritating, isn't it?" Akira replied. "If you're going to be irritating, at least tell me what's in it for me. I do things I want to, not that others think I should."

"Freedom," the man replied. "We wish to allow shadows to bask in the light, to act of your own free will without fear of persecution."

"My free will?" Akira hissed. "What do you know?"

Raidou tensed. He wasn't sure why the spokesman's words had triggered Akira's rage, but the air crackled.

The spokesman stepped back as though disoriented. "It isn't your goal?"

Akira lunged forward. The spokesman raised one arm to defend. His free hand moved to place a mask on his face. Akira's katana pierced through the man's arm, finally stopping as its tip touched the man's mask.

The other four humans quickly pulled out masks as well. A haze surrounded the spokesman.

Akira jumped back, easily retracting his sword as the haze solidified into the image of what looked like a red turtle.

One quick slash cut the turtle in half.

The spokesman fell to the ground, drooling. Akira charged for the woman. Three more red turtles, from the remaining men, moved to intercept him. The haze around the women took the form of a giant skeleton.

Finally launching into action, Raidou pulled out his revolver and took careful aim at the turtle on Akira's right. They were clumping in quickly, but Akira didn't seem particularly bothered and kept his gaze on the skeleton the woman had summoned.

One well-aimed shot dealt with the turtle on the left. Akira darted in the same direction. The two remaining men lunged, but weren't ready for their opponent to shift to the left and missed, badly.

The giant skeleton the woman had summoned bore down on Akira. Raidou drew his katana and charged for the men, hoping to defend his companion. Akira thrust out his right hand and electricity crackled against his enemies.

"Why didn't you do that first?" Raidou yelled as he came in to knock out the stunned men.

"Didn't know I could," Akira shouted back gleefully. He easily parried aside the skeleton as it grabbed for him.

Wind rushed everywhere, attempting to knock both Akira and Raidou from their feet.

Raidou slid in behind Akira, using him to block the gusts and supporting him. The woman's eyes widened.

"Hey, dog," Akira greeted.

"Take her out," Raidou growled.

"You sure you're okay supporting me?"

Raidou leaned in even tighter. "Only if you're worth it."

Akira laughed and electricity crackled amid the howling wind. The woman's eyes rolled back, the wind stopped, and the skeleton faded away leaving only Akira and the Raidou who leaned on him.

**Author's Note: **Alright, hope you enjoyed and hope the relationship between Akira and Raidou seems about right. I want to make Akira stand out from other Shadows, and I hope that's working out without just seeming to disregard canon. I've also broken my promise to myself and am planning way ahead. However, I'm trying to stop things from setting in stone since the process of getting there is long and convoluted.

Hope you guys continue to enjoy!


	13. Chapter 13

Akira closed his eyes as he and Raidou leaned against each other, appreciating the human warmth emanating from his companion.

"You're awfully tolerant," Raidou muttered.

"You're warm."

"Don't like the cold?"

"No, you don't. Except..."

"for ice cream on a hot summer's day."

"Kept cold by a Jack Frost who carried it all the way home..."

"a bucket of ice cream dancing in the street," they finished together.

Raidou pulled away. "Grandfather had a hard time explaining that other people couldn't tell the bucket was being carried by someone."

"And he liked the ice cream too much to bother." Akira looked at Raidou. "If you can accept our shared memories then why can't you accept that we're the same person?"

"Because we're not. You're Akira and I'm Raidou. Those are two different people."

Akira jerked slightly, but didn't say anything.

"Where are my companions?"

"With their Shadows."

"Do you think they're alright?"

"Why do I care?"

Raidou motioned to the unconscious humans. "Because they're the ones helping stop this dreck."

"That still doesn't answer my question."

Shaking his head, Raidou replied, "These are dreck. They assume they know you and they attempt to ensnare you."

Akira looked stubbornly away from the humans, arms crossed.

"They're trying to use shadows to form an army."

That certainly grabbed Akira's attention. "What?"

"If these people are in league with the mysterious entity Souji encountered, then they want to recruit you, and they want to torment Persona users to create more powerful shadows."

"For a war?"

"We don't know the details, but something like that. It might even be as cheesy as worldwide domination or…"

"Or?"

"Armageddon."

"Armageddon?"

"The woman I met spoke of the end of the world."

"These people spoke of free will. Do you think it's the same organization?"

Raidou strode over the unconscious woman, pushing her over so he could examine her shirt. "Definitely."

"A sakura pin."

"The woman on the bridge wore that as well."

"The end of the world," Akira muttered. He didn't seem too upset by the idea.

"Don't get any bright ideas. Now, where are my companions?"

"Wherever their Shadows lurk."

"Can you tell where that is?"

"Don't order me around," Akira growled, yellow eyes flashing.

"If I have to do it on my own that's fine, but don't act like you're going to help and then get angry."

Akira took a deep breath. "I'll give you a starting point."

"Thank you."

The Shadow closed his eyes for a moment. He could feel the fog all around him, the fog of his own confused mind. He could hear the walls and floors beating and the fog flowed through it all and then outside into the garden. The garden…

He opened his eyes. "They're in the garden, and they're in trouble."

"Trouble?"

Akira began to run, not even listening for Raidou's footsteps behind him.

"What kind of trouble?"

"Shadows, and people, I think. A lot of them."

"More dreck?"

Akira grinned. "Got your gun ready?"

They slammed through the front door together, bullets and electricity blazing.

Akira had been right. Shadows swarmed the traditional garden, and he could hear humans shouting out commands. Cherry blossoms flew.

The trees were moving, swatting aside the invading shadows while stones seemed to gnaw at the invaders. Even that strange sight could only hold Raidou Kuzunoha's attention for so long though.

The swarm wasn't aiming for him and Akira, instead shuffling to the middle where someone was putting up quite the fight.

Playing cards carrying spears rained down from the sky, obliterating anything they touched while an inhuman shriek pierced the space.

Raidou felt his soul wrench. "Butterfly."

The shadow which had enveloped Butterfly earlier now loomed over the fight, katana slashing at enemies.

"They're both together," Akira shouted.

"What?"

"Idiot, get out of here. These shadows will leave me alone."

"But…"

"Shadows don't kill other shadows. Now get a move on!"

Electricity barreled through the enemies, clearing the path to Butterfly and Souji. Raidou's breath caught in his throat even as he began to rush through it, drawing his katana to try and keep the path clear.

Butterfly's human form was mostly transparent, exposing a large glowing blue butterfly underneath. He kept circling around Souji, fending off more enemies than even he could possibly handle.

As for Souji he sat on his knees staring at the ground. He didn't even seem aware of the fight around him.

A shadow clambered into Raidou's path only to be swatted away by a giant branch.

"Keep the path clear and let the humans leave," Akira shouted over the battlefield. Something red flew overhead, landing on several of the shadows, who then turned away to seek out other targets.

Raidou grabbed Souji's arm, attempting to hoist the man and start running without pause. Souji stayed still, a dead weight in Raidou's arms. Damn, he was heavy.

"What the hell? Move!" He grabbed Souji's shoulders and shook. Vacant eyes stared back at him, moisture slowly pooling around the edges.

Growling Raidou hoisted the large boy to his feet. "I don't give a damn what's happened, you and I are leaving. Now. Butterfly!"

"We have to get through the gate first," Butterfly whispered. The shadow around him hadn't dissipated, but the human form around the butterfly flickered feebly, and even the butterfly didn't seem as bright as before. His gentle whisper seemed all he could manage.

Letting Souji lean against him, Raidou pulled out one of his tubes. Quickly, he undid the latch. "We need a blizzard, Raiho."

"Yee-ho," the uniformed Jack Frost shouted. Snow enveloped them, damaging the shadows and reducing visibility.

Raidou grabbed Souji's arm. "We're running. Now, and you have to run with me." With that he began to move straight ahead, counting on Akira and Raiho to keep the way clear. Counting on Akira. It felt wrong in his thoughts, but he'd worry about that when there weren't things trying to kill him.

They burst through the shadows, out the gate and into the fog. Souji trembled and then fell to the ground, his entire body shuddering.

"Butterfly, can you get us out?" Raidou shouted as he put Raiho back in the tube.

The dark shadow, darker now for the butterfly's dim light, enveloped both Raidou and Souji. The screaming sounded deeper and the second voice much quieter.****

Author's Note: Having just finished writing Chapter 18 I thought I should go ahead and post Chapter 13, even if it hasn't gotten looked over quite as much as I'd like. That said, I actually really like this one. The interactions between Akira and Raidou are fun to write and I'd been looking forward to it for a long time.

Thanks for sticking with it!


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Note**: Okay, here's a quick canon rundown for purposes of this fanfiction. Games come first, anime second. Persona 4 Arena gets stacked with anime for my purposes as well, since these ideas were already pretty well formed by the time that came out and the True End episode of P4 the Animation is merely a suggestion. A suggestion I am largely chucking out the window. Basically, I'm using it for more information on the character but running with the True End of the PS2 release of the game.

Raidou's eyes flashed open to the familiar wooden ceiling of the Narumi Detective Agency's break room. Groaning he sat up, back cracking from landing on the wooden floor. "Everyone here?"

The floor creaked slightly as he stood. Souji lay in a fetal position, a small blue butterfly on his shoulder.

"Hey," Raidou called, kneeling down beside the young man, "you need to get up."

Scared gray eyes met his, but were unable to hold the contact and looked away once more.

"Come on. It's not like this is your first time around shadows."

"Izanami," Souji muttered, slowly sitting up. Raidou gently scooped the butterfly into his own hands before it could fall.

"Izanami? That's a goddess, not a shadow."

"My Shadow," Souji clarified, "Izanami."

Raidou shook his head. "But you've met your Shadow before. That's how you got your Persona."

Souji began to shake his head, but then stopped. "I..."

"You what?"

"I never thought about it that way."

"Thought about what?"

"I never encountered my Shadow."

Raidou gently stroked Butterfly, forcing himself not to push Souji to continue too quickly. The young man still trembled and would likely need some time, or a distraction, to recover. Instinctively, Raidou pushed some MAG through the small being in his hands. He was grateful to see its glow intensify in response.

"Persona come from accepting your Shadow," Souji explained slowly.

"Okay."

"I never had to do that, but I still got a Persona."

"Maybe you didn't need to confront your Shadow."

"But I did, but I didn't realize I did, and now…" He put his face in his hands. "It's worse than I thought." He took a deep breath and looked up to Raidou. "What about you?"

"About me?"

"Your Shadow, it got to you, but not like others I've seen, or myself. What happened after he…"

Raidou stood. "I'll take you home."

"But—"

"No but's."

Souji stood slowly. "What did I do wrong?"

Raidou sighed. "You need to worry about yourself." Why was Souji determined, comforted even, to discuss someone else's problems rather than dealing with his own?

"What?"

"Don't blame him," Butterfly's voice whispered in Raidou's mind. "I know where he's coming from. This is how he needs to be."

Quickly, Raidou thrust Butterfly towards Souji. "If you're going to worry about someone worry about him. I gave him a bit of MAG, but I think he'd rather be with you."

"I need to worry about myself but should worry about him," Souji countered, even as he took Butterfly from Raidou's hands.

"He knows where you're coming from." Raidou turned and headed for the door.

"What's that mean?"

"I don't know. It's just what he told me." The Devil Summoner headed through the door and quickly down the stairs, Souji following closely behind.

"Welcome back," Narumi-san greeted as they walked through the door to the main office.

"Any messages?"

"Not yet."

"Alright. I'm taking this one home." Raidou grabbed some keys from a peg by the door. "Can you get me there on your own?" he asked, turning back to Souji.

"Yeah."

"Alright then. We'll be back, Narumi-san."

"Don't get killed," she called back as he and Souji left.

"I can take the train."

"No, you can't. Besides," he walked around back of the shared building to a small parking lot, "I need this."

"No."

"What?" Raidou queried, tossing Souji a helmet.

"I am not taking that motorcycle with you ever again."

"The moment you're alone you'll break down again. Besides, some air is just what you need."

Souji looked dubiously at the helmet in his hand. Then, with a sigh, put Butterfly against his shirt. It now looked like nothing more than a blue butterfly broach. "Are you sure?"

"Aren't you?"

"No."

Raidou put his own helmet on. "Come on."

"We'll get killed."

"You fight shadows and demons. Why worry about this?"

"I'm more likely to get killed."

"Your parents will freak, won't they?"

"Yes."

"You're in college now."

"I still have to live with them."

Raidou got on the bike. "I'll get you home."

"In one piece?"

"I'm still in one piece."

"By how much?"

"By a diarahan's worth. Now, get on."

Tentatively, Souji got on the bike. Raidou grunted as the young man wrapped his arms around him. It felt like Souji was trying to choke him with his own intestines.

"Looser," Raidou grunted.

"Why?"

"I am not driving without air."

Souji loosened his grip, a little bit. Raidou's intestines probably weren't where they were supposed to be, but at least they weren't trying to come up his throat now.

Raidou started the engine.

**Author's Note**: Okay, I'll be the first to admit this is a bridge chapter (and that it looks like there will be quite a few of these while I get everyone established and ready for the next phase).

Still, this kind of epilogues a phase of the story, doesn't it? Guess I'll have to make the next chapter a little different then.


End file.
